Gravity Fx Fitness

Yesterday my morning group finished off their leg and hip workout by dragging a tire through the alley.  Why might I torture my clients this way?

Because its a great way to challenge their muscles AND it can be fun to do some new exercises.  By “fun” I mean really difficult, so they get good results from their workouts and its fun to train outdoors sometimes.

I’ve pushed a weighted sled before but the tire is a little easier to use for my studio’s particular setting.  I’ve got a normal sized tire and then I add sandbags for extra resistance.  This way, people of different sizes can all do these exercises.

In this video you will see a woman who competes in fitness pageants pulling a large tire.  Notice the nice leg development that she has.  Instead of a harness I have a rope with 10 foot handles attached to the tire.  She is getting really low to the ground, which really gives you a nice leg workout.

I had Deandra, Jenni, and Pete a little higher up and pushing through the heel to hit their glutes, which they all told me they were feeling!  A week ago, I pulled the tire for 20 minutes, working for 30 seconds, resting a minute and repeating.

I definitely felt it in my backside the next day, which was the idea.  The rest of my legs were feeling it, too.  I then finished with 10 minutes of tire rows for a short but highly efficient 30 minute workout.

Also wanted to congratulate Pete and Kim on getting married Saturday.  Pete will be headed to Afghanistan in the near future and I’ve enjoyed having such a hard worker in the studio.  Pete’s had some good results with this type of training.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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One of my clients gave up her jazzercise routine at the first of the year for cardio strength training and hasn’t looked back since.

This fabulously fit 50-something did her previous workout routine for quite some time and it helped her get in pretty good shape…..but her body had gotten used to it and she needed something new to challenge her.  (Vicki in action)

Her sister-in-law had recently started working with me and recommended it to her and her husband.  After the free trial, she decided to give it a try and see how she liked it.  She went from good shape to even better shape.

She has maintained her cardio conditioning and increased her strength at the same time.  All the upper and mid back exercises have reduced some occasional neck problems, giving her increased posture and alignment.

After doing the same exercise routine over and over you need to give your body a new stimulus in order to see improvement.  Besides keeping your body guessing this also keeps your mind fresh, which is also important for avoiding plateaus.

This is why you see so many gym members hit plateaus – you get used to your routine and need a new stimulus.  Recently, a young woman came in to try and make some additional progress.

After doing the elliptical machine 5 days a week, she is in good shape but wants to keep improving.  Your body gets very efficient at doing steady state (pace) aerobics and high intensity intervals will shock the body and increase your metabolism.

Resistance training will help build lean muscle tissue and keep your burning more calories after you have stopped exercising.  It also accentuates a woman’s natural curves while building or maintaining bone mass – a win/win situation!

The increased strength  makes everyday activities much easier.  The time efficient nature of these workouts doesn’t hurt any, either – about 2 hours a week (3 sessions) is all she does with me and then some walking on her own.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Baseball players have started Spring training and one coach has integrated a unique exercise tool into his team’s regimen.

Detroit Tigers head Strength and Conditioning Coach Javair Gillett is using the TRX suspension trainer to prepare his athletes for the grueling 162 game season. Besides the versatility of the exercises you can do, he likes it for training on the road, when they are away from their training facility at Tigers’ Stadium. It fits into a small pouch and is very portable.

It allows you to train different qualities which are vital to sports performance, like balance, strength, flexibility and core stability. He believes it has a strong carryover to athletic movements.

Strengthening the mid and upper back is important for trying to prevent shoulder injuries.  It is an area that needs to be strong for posture reasons, also.

Not just for athletes, Gillett thinks it is a great training tool for everyone. “If you improve your athleticism you’ll improve the quality of your life. The TRX lets you do that, anywhere.”

For more info on the TRX, click here.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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My client Pete, a National Guardsman, does “basic training” for a year long mission in Afghanistan. Sandbags, parachute straps, ropes and bodyweight exercises take the place of weight machines found at the typical healthclub.

One such piece of equipment is the TRX suspension trainer which was developed by a former Navy SEAL to provide an effective workout using your own bodyweight as resistance.  The straps fold up into a small pouch which takes up little space and is easily portable, attaching to any post, tree, or even a Humvee.

Sandbags are usually easy to find on a military base and make a handy form of resistance training.  The particular bags that he uses are known as the Ultimate Sandbag and come with different handle positions built into the bag for doing various exercises.

Soldiers wear body armor and gear that is quite heavy, requiring plenty of core strength in order to carry out their duties in the field.  Pete has had previous hip and back issues in the past, but since taking up this “basic training” routine has noticed a big difference.

Recently he spent the weekend doing drills and had no problems while wearing all his gear.  Previously, Pete had done the typical weight machines at a local gym and knew that something was missing.  His current training regimen has him doing multi joint exercises that target the abs and low back, integrating them with the upper and lower body.

These exercises require several muscles to work together, making it easier to perform work or sport duties by allowing you to function more efficiently.  These simple but rugged workouts take place in my small studio.  Little rest is allowed between exercises in order to burn greater calories overall.

This can also build mental toughness which might help on the battlefield.  Pete is getting married a month prior to his deployment.  He is scheduled to attend officer training after his mission, before heading to physical therapy school.

While these workouts can be tough they can be modified to fit an individual’s needs and strengthen past weak spots or injuries.  A related article that you might find interesting is The Skinny People are Over There.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Yesterday’s Super Bowl victory was a comeback for both the franchise and the city of New Orleans. Not too many years ago Drew Brees was facing his own comeback after a shoulder injury threatened his career.

One of the training tools that made a big impact on his shoulder health and his performance on the field is the TRX suspension trainer.

This piece of equipment can help strengthen your shoulders, upper and mid back, and your core all at the same time.  Even when “isolating” different muscles your low back and abs are working to some degree to provide stability.  This efficiency is one reason that athletes love this tool and its also why it is a great way for the average person to exercise, as well.

If you are looking for home exercise equipment that is inexpensive, portable, versatile and most important, effective, its hard to go wrong with the TRX.  It can be used by most anyone to increase their fitness levels without taking a lot of time.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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from Coach Mike Boyle:

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Saturday I used only sandbags in my workout and burned 641 calories according to my HR monitor. In one exercise I used a slight assist from a TRX, but the workout took 45 minutes and worked every muscle in my body.

The TRX suspension trainers are supposed to be “all core all the time” because your core is activated to some degree in every exercise.  Same thing with sandbags – you’re always working your abs, low back and hips during an exercise.

Cardio strength training (interval training) is a great way to build lean muscle tissue and burn fat at the same time.  For example, my average heart rate for this workout was 78% of my max, with the peak HR reaching 98%  (pretty intense).

So a 45 minute workout at 78% will obviously burn some calories.  By doing more intense interval training you go into oxygen debt, where you are breathing heavily.  Research has shown that this can elevate your metabolism for 24 hours or more AFTER you have stopped exercising!

That’s one of the things I like about sandbags – improved fat burning efficiency while improving your coordination in different movement patterns.  The exercises train multiple muscles to work together at the same time.

I did step ups, overhead presses, high pulls, partial rotation deadlifts and an overhead rotational lift that is often done with a medicine ball.  I kept the rest periods between exercises minimal which keeps your heart rate up and stimulates your fat burning hormones.

One of the reasons you’re metabolism stays elevated after this workout is because of the fast twitch muscles that are worked with the exercises that focus on either strength or power.  More muscles used equals more calories burned but you also have the “afterburn” effect going on as these muscles are being repaired after the workout.

These workouts can take a lot out of you and need to be progressed gradually.  I have my baby boomer clients doing most of these same exercises and it allows them to get in a fast, efficient workout – letting them spend more time with family and friends.

I really could feel it in deep in my abs the next day, particularly from the overhead rotational lift with the sandbag.  I have taught those 15 minute ab workouts before at a healthclub and would never feel it in my abs like I do with the sandbags, or even the TRX.

Here is a video from coach Josh Henkin that shows a few examples of sandbag training.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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The glute bridge is a great way to add some protection for your low back and work your hips at the same time.  All you need for resistance is your own bodyweight – which can make this exercise more challenging, depending on your size.

The glutes are important both to sports performance, as well as providing stability to your pelvis and thus, your low back.  This simple progression can be used by most anyone.  Some people may make it to level three in a few weeks and others may take a few months or more, depending on your current strength.

My suggestion would be to add in single leg exercises like split squats, lunges, and step-ups if you are looking for increased fitness or sports performance, adding resistance as you get stronger.

If you are older and/or have had some back issues, take your time going through the progressions.  I have recently seen the basic two leg bridge done with a padded barbell across your hips for extra resistance.

If you have had back problems before I would suggest working through the three levels first, before considering adding weight to this exercise. Otherwise, holding a dumbbell or weight plate across your torso might work, too.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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There is a new way to do lat pulldowns that might be superior to the standard machine, in my opinion.  Lat machines are a standard in most healthclubs and gyms.

They let you work your back, arms, shoulders, and grip at the same time.  While pullups and chinups are a great exercise, not many have adequate strength to do this demanding exercise.

I was talking to my father recently about his cardiac maintenance program.  About a month ago he graduated from his 12 week cardiac rehab program, after undergoing a quadruple bypass.  Anyway, he mentioned the different exercises he was doing and that some of the people were also doing strength training.

He was trying to describe the lat pulldown exercise – not knowing what it was called – and his description got my attention.  I thought he said something about pulling the bar down behind your head and I wanted to make sure, as this is an exercise that has significant risk of shoulder injury when done in this manner, especially for those over 45.

I then let him know that if he ever did this exercise that you want to pull the bar down in front of your head. I then told the story of an acquaintance of his who injured his shoulder a couple years ago while pulling the bar behind his head.

Due to postural changes and lack of use, many lose their shoulder flexibility over time.  A new alternative to the lat pulldown addresses this issue very nicely.  A seated rope climber called the VLT allows you to do the this exercise with one arm at a time, which has some added benefits.

This allows those with limited range of motion in their shoulders to only reach as high as they can without any pain.  By pulling down with one hand and then the other, similar to climbing a rope, you allow the user to control how high they reach – without fear of losing their grip on the bar.

Not long ago they were featured by trainer Gunnar Peterson in a Muscle and Fitness article……”Using these rope machines is very different from doing lat pulldowns and pullups because the hand-over-hand motion breaks the kinetic chain, forcing you to re-grip each time.”

I got to try them out a a fitness trade show last year and loved it.  Its definitely on the wish list for my studio.  It has 7 different resistance settings and can be used to train strength, cardio and grip all at the same time.  For those like my father who need increased shoulder flexibility and upper body strength, it is a perfect solution – his once powerful hands have become severely atrophied, due to disuse.

I have also seen it used on TV in the training of MMA athletes, including Quentin “Rampage” Jackson.  Pulling hand over hand at an all out pace is an intense and “fun” workout.  It can be included in a fat loss circuit, as well.

Brian Morgan

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If you’re a woman who wants sculpted biceps and triceps you need to drop the light weights and high reps.  Train your arms with some resistance and you might be amazed by the results.

Instead of doing lots of reps with 3 pound dumbbells, use combination exercises that train your upper body as a whole – pushup variations and rowing or pulling movements will work your arms with the large muscles of your upper body simultaneously, for a fast, efficient workout……

one that won’t leave you with bulky arms!

Bodyweight exercises done with a suspension trainer like the Bandit’s Loops or TRX fits the bill.  This type of training can also hit your “core” muscles, giving you a flat stomach at the same time.  Perfect for the busy woman who doesn’t have time to go to the gym.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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